Inside some of the biggest plays in TexasBig Play Breakdown: Texas QB Tyrone Swoopes’ game- winning TD run vs. Notre DameThe PlayThe Result

Well, you saw the end of the play. Swoopesdives into the end zone, DKR erupts and abreathless Joe Tessitore proclaims “Texas...is back, folks!” Yeah, about that, Joe: twoweeks later, Texas drops its first game of theyear to Cal, and Notre Dame loses a homegame to Duke. It’s a great moment, butmaybe not the huge win it once was.

The Setup

In their season opener at home againstnationally ranked Notre Dame, Texas hasfought the Irish into double overtime. TheLonghorns defense held the Irish to a fieldgoal in their possession in the second over-time, and now Texas — needing a touch-down to win — faces 2nd and goal at the 6.

Inside the Play

Texas uses its “18-Wheeler” package —backup QB Tyrone Swoopes taking the snapin the shotgun with a running back, one widereceiver and two tight ends. The second tightend — Andrew Beck — comes in motionto the right of the formation, making this aheavy set to the right (all three non-receiverskill players are on the right). It’s a designedQB trap with a pair of lead blockers — Beckkicks out the right stand-up end, the runningback D’Onta Foreman is supposed to leadthe way into the hole (he doesn’t). Left guardPatrick Vahe pulls to open up the hole be-tween right guard and right tackle.

What You Didn’t Notice

This play is nearly blown up from the startbecause of two things. First: Notre Dameguesses right, and blitzes right where theplay is supposed to be run. Second: Foremanblocks...precisely nobody. He just kind ofwanders off. But Swoopes dodges the blizterin the hole, and that’s where Vahe comes in,pulling and coming around just in time toseal off a would-be tackler who is barrelinguntouched for the ball-carrier. Vahe takes alittle too long to get there, but he gets therein time, and that’s able to spring Swoopes forthe moment that will live in Longhorns lorefor a long, long time.